Overwatch - Before The Fall
by Lianou
Summary: "I'll take care of you." From the beginning, you know the end. The tragic tale of an unlikely love between the ninja blind by his desire of revenge and the brilliant scientist, and a staunch advocate for peace. In a world taken by fear and fear, Genji Shimada must decide between becoming an unstoppable weapon against his old clan or the doctor that taught him the meaning of love.


In the beginning, there was nothing but darkness.

The pain of his wounds and broken bones were nothing compared to his broken heart. In just one night, he lost everything that was part of him.

Home. Friends. Honor. Family.

Words that no longer had meaning to him, only more burdens to be carried.

At the heat of their encounter, he met his end on the cold floor, lying on his own blood while being forced to watch the man that were once his brotherdisappearing in the shadows of the night.

There was nothing to be done. For the first time in his life, Genji embraced his defeat, waiting for death to put him out of his suffering.

He accepted his fate. There was no reason to resist. There was no reason to fight. Everything was lost.

But his life was not supposed to end, not on that night.

"Stay with me!" He heard a mysterious female voice at his right, like an angel bringing him back to the light.

Bringing him back to life.

He felt a soft touch on his face, warming his frozen skin in every touch, easing his pain in every word.

"Shh... Keep breathing... It will be over soon..."

Slowly, his body started to become more relaxed with her presence, surrendering to her whispers unable to see her face through his blurred vision. But he stood there, quiet and still, feeling her hands washing away his sorrow.

"Who...are...you...?" He fights his injuries to ask that question, almost choking with his own blood.

"Don't speak, just breathe." Her voices echoes in his ears as a response. "Stay calm, alright?" Somehow, he felt her face approaching his, like that she was smiling to him. "Just try to relax, okay?"

He obeys, not exactly able to resist the sound of her soothing voice mixed with the cold wind gently blowing against their bodies. Seconds later, the sunrise overcame the darkness around him, slowly revealing his savior's face, whose eyes were focused on the horizon.

"Oh..." She whispers, delighted by such a breathtaking view, finding a great opportunity to calm the wounded ninja. "Beautiful, isn't?"

"Yes..." However, Genji eyes were locked on hers, stunned by the brightness of her eyes. Her beautiful smile felt like a gentle touch deep within his heart, making him feel life slowly coming back to him. "Yes, it is."

She turns her eyes back to his, immediately noticing that he was not referring to the dawn of a new day in Hanamura. She was unable to hide her cheeks blushing in embarrassment, just like the short laugh that escaped her, echoing in his ears.

He seems calmer with her grin, forgetting the pool of blood around hi.

But he didn't feel nothing else after the sunrise. Not a scratch, not a pain, not a broken bone, only the gentle heat of her fingers on his face, making him experience the feeling of being saved by a angel.

"Don't be afraid." She whispers. "I'll take care of you."

 ** _I'll take care of you._**

Those were the last words he remembered before collapsing.

At the time, he couldn't imagine how that short sentence would change his life, forever.

Pain. Rage. Sorrow. Loneliness.

Words that he was about to know the meaning.

Lost in the darkness, his suffering returns as the memory of his bloody encounter with Hanzo that left him in the brink of death. His hesitation to fight his brother was what led him to his defeat. The pain that he felt after every punch, every cut delivered by Hanzo's sword meeting his flesh, all sending him back to that moment, back to that fight. Like a curse torturing him in his sleep.

When he thought he was lost, a familiar touch brings him back to the reality, releasing him from his nightmare.

Lying on a cozy bed surrounded by medical equipment, Genji opens his eyes, not knowing for how long he was unconscious.

"Easy now..." He immediately turns his head to face her, watching as she washes her white cloves stained with blood on the sink, returning to him right after. "Shh... take a deep breath." She gently presses her hand against the bandages covering his chest, carefully checking his heartbeat as he breathes.

"Who are you?" He repeats his previous question, but without any sort of pain like the previous time.

"My name is Dr. Angela Ziegler." She didn't shift her gaze to talk to him, focusing only in examining his body's reaction after the intense surgery needed to heal his multiple injuries. "Don't make to much effort, Mr. Shimada. You need to re-"

"Wait, how do you know my name?!" He desperately begins to look around him, not recognizing that place as one of his city's hospitals. "Who are you?! Where am I?!"

"Genji, take it easy!" Angela immediately tries to hold him against his bed to prevent him from getting up while hearing the heartbeat monitor revealing critical signs of panic. "Stay calm, Genji! Stay calm!"

He tries to fight, only to discover most of his body was tied against the bed, including both his legs and his arms.

"What is this?!"

"Look at me!" She holds his face carefully, bringing his eyes back to hers in a desperate attempt to calm him. "I know this sounds scary. I know that you might have questions. But... you'll have to trust me, okay?"

"Get me out of this bed, now!"

"I'll explain everything to you. But first, I need you stay calm and breathe. You just woke up from an intense surgery, Genji. You need to rest. I know you have questions, and I'll give you the answers. But I need you to relax."

"Where am I?!"

"Breathe, Genji... breathe..."

Without any other options, Genji decided to follow the doctor's orders, doing his best to force a false image of tranquility while hiding how tense he really was with the whole situation. Locked in a place that he had never seen before with an unknown doctor healing his wounds while clearly hiding something from him.

There was a hidden truth behind her gentle words, one that he was determined to discover.

"Now, on a scale of one to ten, how is your pain?"

"Where am I?" He ignored her question, going straight for what mattered to him, the answers.

Angela sighs in response, apparently frustrated for Genji's refusal to collaborate with her medical protocol.

"I'll tell you, but... try to stay calm." She hesitates, choosing the best words before proceeding to her answer. "We're in Overwatch's Swiss Headquarters."

"What?! But how..."

"You were unconscious for five days, Genji. We did everything we could to save you and keep you safe."

"Save me? Keep me save? This looks more like a prison to me, doctor..." He mentions that word in sarcasm.

"This..." She gazes his arms tied on the bed with a sad expression, embarrassed by such a harsh method. "...is just a precaution." She approaches his face, staring deeply into his eyes. "There's nothing to be afraid of, Mr. Shimada. We are not here to harm you in any way."

"You are talking with a man tied on a bed, doctor. How can I trust someone that-"

Before he could finish, Angela grabbed a surgical knife from the small tray. Genji's first reaction was to threat her in an attempt to make her stop whatever she was planning to do with that knife. However, different from everything that he was expecting, Angela cut the plastic nylon keeping Genji on his bed, one by one until he was finally free.

"Do you trust me now?" She asked while placing the knife back to the tray.

After her demonstration of trust that he wouldn't try anything against her, Genji remained still in his bed with no words to describe such a surprise.

Why take such an unnecessary risk? To make him keep his guard down? Trying to fool him with a false sense of trust?

Or she was telling the truth...?

"I know you went through a lot recently." Her tone suddenly became calmer. At some point, Genji could feel a small dose of sadness present in it. "I'm..." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "We are not here to hurt you. I promise you that."

 ** _I promise._**

What a strong sentence, especially for Genji that grew up in a clan that, despite being a criminal empire, was still a group of tradition and, most importantly, honor.

He still had plenty of questions, but after seeing all what she did to him, Genji felt horrible and embarrassed for not showing his hidden gratitude. After all, she was the one that saved his life.

"Dr. Ziegler..." With his hand free, Genji gently pressed his fingers over hers. Angela immediately looked back to his eyes with a initial worried expression. "Thank you."

After his words, he watched closely as Angela's tense expression was replaced by a shy and relief grin. She awkwardly shifted her gaze to both their hands matching it perfectly with one another.

"Don't thank me." She said, getting up from her chair and turning her back to him, apparently pretending to be working on the reports in her tablet just to hide the red taking over her cheeks.

"Well..." Suddenly, Genji heard the sound of someone knocking on the lab's door. Judging by his uniform, he was a high-ranked Overwatch member. "Looks like you decided to break the security protocols..." He noticed the plastic nylon on the ground. "...again."

"Commander Morrison." Angela immediately stared at the commander, returning to her casual, yet serious posture of a doctor. "It was not necessary."

"Glad to hear it." Morrison stepped closer to Genji. "You must be Genji Shimada." He didn't look impressed. "It's good to see you well."

"Sorry, commander." Angela interrupted him before he could go any further with that conversation. "He needs some rest."

"Doctor's orders, I presume." Morrison glared at Angela, slowly stepping away from Genji. "Alright then." He gave Genji one last look before heading to the door. "You must have tons of questions, but we will have our chance to talk when you are ready."

Genji didn't say a word to Morrison, only watched as he left the room.

"Dr. Ziegler." He stared at Angela. "Why am I-"

"Enough of questions for now, Mr. Shimada." She interrupted him so kindly that he didn't even tried to persist.

In the end, it wouldn't hurt to wait a little longer to get his answers. Not after everything Ziegler did for him.

"I just want to know why you saved me."

"I don't need a reason to save someone's life, Genji Shimada."

"Sorry, Dr. Ziegler. But I don't believe in goodwill."

"You don't believe or you are not used to it?"

He didn't really had an answer for that question. A consequence for living an entire life among criminals and assassins. Not exactly the best examples of compassion or goodwill that she was mentioning. Even refusing to be part of his father's empire, Genji never had someone that he truly carried about, the only exception was the same man that left him to die. Hanzo Shimada, his older brother.

"How much do you know about the Shimada Clan, Dr. Ziegler?"

"More than enough." The anger was explicit in her tone.

So she knew that he was a key figure of the clan. The younger son of master Sojiro's. But her knowledge about the clan's illegal activities just reinforced his doubts about her. Why she rescued him even knowing who he really was?

"There's an agent on the door." Angela grabbed her equipment. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. But for now, rest a little."

He watched silent as she leaves. For some reason that he couldn't understand, he didn't want her to go. He wanted to know who she really was and why she saved him. But, somehow, there was some truth behind her words. Something about her fascinated him. She was different from the all the other persons that he met in his life of luxury and privilege. With only a few minutes of talk, Genji felt the kindness and the purity within her heart. And he wanted to know more about his savior.

"Who are you, Dr. Ziegler?"

It would take some time for Genji to finally have his answer.

One that would change his heart, forever.


End file.
